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East Texas nurses receive well-deserved recognition on National Certified Nurses Day

East Texas nurses and nursing programs are receiving recognition on National Certified Nurses Day.

Nurses play a crucial role in health care, and on National Certified Nurses Day, they're getting the recognition they deserve.

With a growing medical community, the need for nurses in East Texas is greater than ever before.

Jodi Seal is the Department Chair of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Tyler Junior College.

"Nurses make up a huge part of the health care community, and therefore we're always in need," Seal said.

She said their nurses leave with the skills they need to enter the workforce.

"The fact that you can make somebody's day better," Seal said. "That you can help them to become better in the moment in their difficult circumstance, to make them feel better, to give them hope."

Earlier this year, UT Tyler's online nursing program was listed as one of the best in the United States, landing fifth place nationally in rankings released by U.S News and World Report.

Following those rankings, UT Tyler President Dr. Michael Tidwell released a statement in a press release.

"The ranking validates the excellent work of the faculty and staff at our College of Nursing of Health Sciences, as well as the professional impact of our students," Tidwell said.

Michelle Nelson is the Department Chair for the Vocational Nursing Program at TJC.

She said her certification is unique because of the quick turnaround.

"My program is special because we take students who maybe didn't think they could do much else in the world except work a minimum wage job, we get them a prerequisite, we get them into the field, and they become nurses in 12 month," Nelson said.

Nelson worked as a nurse for 21 years before going into teaching.

"Nurses can just impact a patient in a variety of different ways, whether it be from a safety standpoint, a comfort standpoint, advocating for them, there's just so many ways that we can touch a life," Nelson said. "And to have the ability to do that is pretty gratifying."

Be sure to thank a nurse today, and remember how much the nurses in your community do today and every day.

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